We’ve used 100% Renewable energy from local supplier Good Energy for the last three years. Unlike some of the new entrant larger providers who’ve suddenly changed their renewable spots they do actually own many of their own renewable energy sources. But generation is one side of the picture. It’s also important to be energy efficient.

Our ‘Chocolate factory’ was built in 2009, and at the time fluorescent tube lights we’re the most efficient form of lighting readily available. However in the last few months LED replacement tubes have become available that are easy to retrofit and are far more energy efficient.

The typical fluorescent tube we use consumes 70W. The equivalent LED tube consumes 30W, a saving of 40W per tube. Multiply this across all of our lighting and the savings equate to around 1kW.

Looking at this purely financially, at a typical rate of 13pkWH that’s around £1 a day saving for an 8 hour day. The lights pay for themselves in around 6-9months and should last 3 years – what’s not to like?

So today I retrofitted around 95% of our lights for LED equivalents. Some are a straight swap out with a replacement starter. Others need a slight rewire. Fortunately before I ran away to the world of chocolate I started my career as an electrical apprentice.

Switching to LED lighting saves us up to 1kW of electricity – I say up to as we only have the lights switched on we need and have natural light in our packing area.

In our production room it removes 400W of unwanted heat.

There is a further saving for us.

As a chocolate company we need to keep our production room cool, particularly in the summer. We also have a cool storage room.

Switching to LED lighting removed 400W of unnecessary heat from our production area meaning our cooling units – efficient thought they are, have to work less.

So a compounded electricity saving, one that pays for itself and is good for the planet.

I recommend all small businesses make this change, even if it’s just one fluorescent tube at a time!